Dark Enough
by daphrose
Summary: She tugged the edge of her hood down and pointed the gun at her target. In the distance, she could hear the voices of her father, of her uncle, of her brothers . . . all yelling at her to stop. Their voices were drowned out by her own racing thoughts. "You're too late," she mumbled. "This is who I am now. I'm a monster." She pulled the trigger. (High T)
1. Part I: Problem

**Hey peoples! I'm back! With a new story! Whoops! Should probably work on old stuff. WDF needs a** ** _lot_** **of work before I'm able to update again. Some plot holes and an unfulfilling climax need serious work. Sorry guys, but it'll be a while for that one.**

 **Meanwhile, I got this new idea! Originally it was going to be just a one-shot, but I decided to split it in half because it was getting really long. So . . . there's a lot of evil Chase stuff out there, but what about evil Bree? Well, she's here now. }:)**

 **This story is AU, I guess; Which Father Knows Best? happened, but Donald didn't forgive Douglas at the end and he didn't move in. That's pretty much all you need to know.**

 **By the way, this is T for some very good reasons; it's a high T. In this chapter drugs are used as an analogy. There's also high levels of angst and a potential life-threatening choice that a character makes. In the next chapter (and the one after that, if it winds up with three) there will be mentions of the criminal underworld, some violence, bad choices, betrayal, and assassination. It's dark; you've been warned.**

 **So, on with the story! I only edited it once, so please excuse any mistakes. I don't own Lab Rats or "Monster" by Imagine Dragons (which I recommend you listen to while reading). Enjoy!**

* * *

 *** * * Part I: Problem * * ***

* * *

"Ah!"

"Bree, I need your help over here!"

"Adam, shut up and get this beam off me!"

"Fine, fine. Stop being such a crybaby."

"Bree, we should get out. The aftershocks could start again at any moment."

"Y'know, a thank you might be nice."

"Oh, like how you thank me?"

"You're the polite one out of the two of us."

"Fine. _Thank you_ , Adam. Now, let's get out. Bree, c'mon, let's go!"

"Ugh, she's doing it again. Bree! Earth to Bree!"

"Maybe we should imitate her text tone. That would snap her out of it."

"Or just start asking her about Cameron."

"Nah, that only makes her more dreamy."

"True. We should start bringing him along on missions. If he listened to us, and since Bree listens to him, we could get her to do _anything_."

"If only _we_ had vocal manipulation. But seriously, Bree, _move_."

"She's kinda freaky-looking."

"Bree, he's right. You're honestly starting to scare us. Snap out of it; we need to move now."

The building began to shake and loose debris fell from the ceiling.

"Too late. Bree, we need to move _now_. As in, _this second_!"

Bree took a deep breath. Her hand rested on the windowsill and she stared out at the field behind the facility. There was no glass in front of her; a beam had knocked it away just an hour ago. Shards of glass scraped her hands, but she was far from caring. Grit dusted her hair and filled her lungs. Deep inside, her subconscious alerted her to the danger, but she ignored it.

A hand gripped her arm with shocking strength. "Bree!" She looked up into the eyes of her older brother. "We are about to be crushed! Get us out!"

Bree looked around. The building shook with devastating force, and the ceiling looked ready to collapse. They had already gotten the workers out, so the three of them were the only ones left.

"I hate this." They were the first words Bree had spoken the entire mission, aside from the acknowledgment of Chase's commands. "I never realized just how much I really, truly hate all of this." She yanked her arm out of Adam's grip, surprising him. "You two . . . are on your own. I'm done."

Bree sped away without another word. She left the building . . . she left her brothers behind. She ran across the shaking ground, using all her strength to stay balanced. The quaking soon became less powerful, and before she knew it, Bree was home.

"Good, you're back. Where are Adam and Chase?"

That was the first thing her father asked when she entered the lab. Of course it was what he would ask. No, "Thank goodness you're alive!" No, "Good job getting everyone out." Not even, "Are your bionics still working correctly? I want to make sure, since your chip's so new."

 _I'm happy to be alive too. The other people were also very happy to get out alive, and I didn't reveal my bionics in the meantime. My bionics are still a little rusty, and stopping my super speed is harder than it was before, but I'm just glad to have them back. Thanks, Dad._

Bree walked to her capsule and changed out of her mission suit, trying to avoid the suspicious glares of her stepbrother and father—uncle.

"Big D," Leo said from his position at the computer, "Chase and Adam are still at the mission site."

"What? Bree, why didn't you take them home?"

Bree stepped out of her capsule and ran a hand through her hair. She blinked once, twice, and walked towards the elevator.

"Bree," Leo said, standing up. Bree didn't freeze, but her next step was slower. "Why did you leave them there?"

The coldness of Bree's voice shocked even her. "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said they wanted to be left there."

"Get back in here right now, young lady!" Mr. Davenport demanded. "You need to head back there and bring them back right now!"

Bree laughed, still without turning around. "No." She took off, running as fast as she could, away from her uncle and brother, away from their confused and angry stares . . . hopefully away from the darkness that had crept into her own heart.

* * *

Bree fiddled with the piece of paper and clutched her phone. Was this the right choice? Should she really do it? She had spent two weeks mulling it over, and she knew what she wanted to do. Her family wouldn't want her to do it, though. That was the real problem.

With a sigh, she punched in the number and held the phone up to her ear.

 _Bri-ing._

* * *

 _The doorbell rang, and Bree, since she was home alone, stood up to open it. She gasped at the man on the other side. "Douglas?"_

 _"I don't have long to talk," her father gasped. "The longer I stay in one place, the more likely Krane will find me."_

 _"What do you want, then?"_

 _"I want you."_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"Bree, I don't regret anything I did to you. Well, okay, some of that's not true. Trapping you in my basement was probably a step too far, but everything else . . . I don't regret."_

 _"Wow. You know, I was starting to warm up to you, but now I'm not so—"_

 _"You're more powerful than you realize, Bree. You have so much potential, and I know how to make sure you live up to it."_

* * *

Bree dragged her fingers down the curtains and watched the sunset outside. Her heart pounded out of her chest, but it was as much out of excitement as out of fear. Deep inside, she knew this idea was crazy; however, she was tired of being only speed. She was ready for something more.

That was why she would take _his_ offer . . . _he_ could make her more.

 _Bri-ing._

* * *

 _"Powerful?"_

 _"Are you listening, then?"_

 _"No. Douglas, I don't know what you're up to, but you spit it out already."_

 _Douglas smirked and shook his head. "Your new chip—the one I created for you a few weeks ago—is a lot more powerful than your last one."_

 _"So you did try to use it to make me turn evil!"_

 _"No! There's no Triton App or anything like that on it. But I created it with the capacity for more abilities—_ stronger _abilities. I can unlock them for you."_

* * *

 _Stronger. Faster. Smarter._

That had been the motto of the three Davenport kids when they were young. They used to pretend they were in their own TV show, and simple phrase defined who they were. Bree chuckled as she remembered coming up with a theme song for it and everything.

Why could only one be stronger? Why could only one be faster? Why could only one be smarter?

Why couldn't she be all three?

 _Bri-ing._

* * *

 _"Why are you really here?"_

 _Douglas sighed. "Look, I'm not here to turn you evil. I'm here to ask for help. I don't know where or when Krane is going to strike next, and frankly, Bree, I'm terrified. I created you with the capability to protect me."_

 _"So you want me to be a bodyguard?"_

 _"Pretty much."_

 _Bree rolled her eyes and moved to shut the door._

 _"No, Bree, stop! Look, I'm just a father who wants help from his daughter. We can_ both _benefit from this."_

 _"What about Adam and Chase?"_

 _"We don't need them."_

* * *

A knock on the door startled Bree out of her thoughts. "Bree, let us in!"

"Yeah, we need to talk."

 _We don't need them._

 _I don't need you . . ._

 _Bri-ing._

* * *

 _"You don't seem to understand just_ how _powerful I made you, Bree. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for . . . than your brothers give you credit for . . . than_ Donnie _gives you credit for."_

 _Bree looked up at him, fixing him with something between a glare and a curious glance._

 _"I know," her father said, flashing a sad grin. "They don't treat you with the respect you deserve. Donald certainly doesn't. You know that if you had those abilities, you'd be far above them. You know this, Bree."_

 _"Douglas, you're crazy. Get out of my house."_

 _"Bree, listen to me! I need your help, and you need mine. I'm not asking you to betray your family. I'm not asking you to turn evil or anything like that! I just want you to help me, and in turn, I'm make you more powerful than ever before."_

* * *

The door handle wiggled around, and Bree's heart pounded harder than ever. The boys would surely know something was up. It wasn't usual for her to hide out in that room—it was practically hers now; Tasha never came up to it anymore—but locking it was an entirely different matter.

Locked doors were meant to hide something.

Bree crumpled the paper up in her hand.

 _Bri-ing._

* * *

 _"I don't trust you," Bree said, not afraid to be blunt. After all, even if Douglas had fixed her chip, he had also kidnapped her and blew up their lab._

 _"I know I've done a lot of wrong things. I tried to make it up by fixing your chip."_

 _"And now you're telling me that you added a whole lot of stuff so you could turn me evil."_

 _"I already said, I don't want to turn you evil. I just want a partnership with my daughter!" Douglas walked closer to Bree so that they stood eye-to-eye. She felt like she should back up, but for some reason she didn't move. "And if I was . . . so what?"_

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"So what if I wanted to turn you evil? You wouldn't care."_

* * *

 _"Hello, you've reached the voicemail of Hurt Manley. Please leave a message after the beep . . ._ but _I probably won't get back to you."_

Bree groaned as the beep sounded. "Hey, it's your daughter," she whispered. "And you could really use a new cover name, _pops_."

"Bree, who are you talking to?" Chase called from the other side of the door.

"Let us in!" Leo said.

Bree took a few deep breaths and held the phone back up to her cheek. "I'm coming. The only problem is . . . where am I going? I'm guessing you're not at the park anymore. I know you don't want to, but call me back or something."

* * *

 _"You're my daughter. Evil's in your blood," Douglas said. "You're very capable of evil things. Whether you do them or not is up to you, but I'm not here to discuss right and wrong." He grabbed her hand and shoved something into it. "Contact me when you're ready."_

 _Douglas walked back out the door without another word._

* * *

"Bree." It was Adam's voice this time. "Come out. Now." His voice was desperate and terrified—something he didn't show very often. Bree almost felt bad, but only _almost_.

"I'm not coming out," she said. "Leave me alone."

"Why'd you leave us behind?" Chase snapped.

"Quiet," she heard Adam hiss. "Bree . . . whatever's going on, we're here to help you."

 _Ding._

 _From: Hurt Manley_

 _To: Bree Davenport_

 _7:45_

 _2318 West Appleton Road. Meet at 8 sharp._

Bree lowered her phone. "I'm doing what I have to," she whispered. "If I'm strong, I can protect you." But she knew she was only lying to herself—to them.

 _Ding._

 _From: Hurt Manley_

 _To: Bree Davenport_

 _7:46_

 _I knew you'd come around. Believe me when I say I know what it's like to live with siblings and parents who don't appreciate you. I'll remake you, Bree. I'll make you better. You'll be loved. Don't you want that? I love you. Come back to me._

* * *

 _Bree studied the phone number as she sunk into the couch. "Could it be a trap?" she mumbled to herself._

 _"He seemed sincere enough to me," Eddy said._

 _"But I . . . I couldn't possibly join him, right? I couldn't help him."_

 _"I dunno. You're a lot more like him than you want to admit."_

 _Bree leapt up from the couch, brow furrowed. "Take that back!" she shouted._

 _The emoticon shrugged. "Sorry, but it's true. I've been with you since you were eleven, and I know what you do in your free time—the way you act. You can be pretty—"_

 _"Shut up and leave me alone!"_

 _Surprisingly, the emoticon only frowned and deactivated. Bree sat down on the couch again, hands shaking. "I'm not like him," she whispered. "I'm not evil . . . am I?"_

* * *

Bree slipped on the hoodie and pulled it up over her head. She turned one more time to the door, where her brothers still shouted for her to open it. She walked up to it. Her hand went to the handle, and she exhaled slowly. Everything on the other side was silent, as if they could feel her standing there.

"Bree," Chase whispered. "We just want answers."

Bree's hand fell away from the handle. "You want answers," she sobbed. "You don't want to know how I'm feeling. You don't care about _me_. You never did."

"Bree!"

And with that, she was gone. Bree opened the window and hopped out, racing to the location sent by her father. Her tears flew in the wind behind her, but she didn't care.

She never cared anymore.

* * *

"You came," the dark figure leaning against the wall—her father—said.

"Yeah. Took me long enough to find this place. You could've said the alley."

Douglas shrugged. "Hey, you figured it out. See, you're smart. Does anyone else realize that?"

Bree shook her head. "I don't even try for A's in school. What do they care? I'll never be as smart as Chase."

"I'll make you _smarter_ than him."

"And . . . I don't have to turn evil?"

"I'll give you a plethora of bionic abilities, plus training, and all you have to do in return is help my find Krane and take him down."

"You never really told me why you didn't want Adam and Chase."

"Because they're not powerful enough."

"Not even Chase? But he's the third one. Shouldn't he be the most powerful out of all of us?"

Douglas smirked. "Theoretically. But remember, you have the newest chip. You have the room for the most upgrades, the most abilities."

"I'm so sick of the way they treat me," Bree mumbled. "I'm only good for speed. And I know they said th-that they needed me on the team, wh-when I destroyed my bionics, b-but I . . . they sure don't treat me like they need me when I'm with them. They o-only care about my bionics. Not _me_. Douglas, they don't care about me. Bionics won't help, I know that. Then they'll only be amazed by my new abilities. B-But . . . I think . . . I think I need bionics the way some people need drugs. I'm addicted. I'm going to fall apart without them. D-Douglas, they're all I have left."

Douglas was silent at this strange outburst. "I know for a fact that addictions aren't good things," he whispered.

"I know. Maybe that was a bad analogy."

"Look, Bree, I don't want to hurt you. And I don't want you to hurt anyone else . . . except maybe Krane."

"I won't. And I can help you. I know I can. But . . . what I need the most from you is . . . you. I think you've loved me more than anyone else ever has . . . even if you kidnapped me and tried to turn me evil."

Douglas leaned back and looked at the ground. "I just wanted my little girl back," he whispered.

"I see that now."

Douglas looked up again. "Well, we'd better get to work. Here, put this one."

Bree took the cloth strip from his outstretched hand. "A blindfold?"

"Sorry, I can't risk you figuring out where my lab is."

Bree shrugged. "This is probably stupid."

"Probably."

She put on the blindfold and let her father lead her by the hand. This was a game of ultimate trust right now. If Douglas wanted to lead her into a trap, this was the perfect opportunity.

Every beat of her heart seemed to tell her to turn back. Every hair stood up straight, ready for anything. Every nerve tingled with suspense. Every fiber of her being was terrified—and exhilarated.

They walked for several minutes, in and out of buildings, up and down stairs. Finally Douglas pulled off the blindfold, and Bree found herself in an old-looking warehouse basement full of technology.

"This is your lab?" she asked.

"It's one of Krane's lab, actually. We shouldn't stay for long, but he's abandoned this place, and it has all the technology we need to upgrade your bionics. Are you ready?"

"I guess."

Something in Bree woke up that day. What it was, she had no idea. A monster, she supposed it was. It had unleashed its fury when she left Adam and Chase behind at the mission site. She had _just stopped caring_. She couldn't find it in herself to feel anything towards them. Whether that was Douglas's fault or her own, she couldn't tell.

Douglas laid Bree down on the table. "You're sure?" he asked. "There _are_ potential side effects—"

"Just do it before I change my mind," Bree snapped.

"All right. Here we go. And, Bree, thank you."

"Thank you," she mumbled. "After all, who doesn't want more power?"

After today, everything would be different. After today, she would be someone else. It wasn't because of her bionics; it was because of _her_. It came from deep inside. She morphed into something dangerous, something that had been coming for a very long time.

As Douglas went into the process of upgrading her bionics, Bree screamed. She screamed because of the pain, physical and emotional. She screamed because she was angry—at her brothers, at her uncle, at the world. She screamed because she couldn't find any other way to release her feelings. She screamed because she could feel the monster inside her, clawing its way out to the forefront of her mind . . .

* * *

 **Intense? Yes? No? It only gets more intense from here. There will be one more chapter,** ** _possibly_** **two. I'll try to update them in the next few days, although tomorrow will be extremely busy day for me. Maybe Friday though.**

 **On an unrelated note, who's excited for the new Lab Rats tonight? All you lucky East Coast people who have already seen it . . . don't spoil it for me! I can watch it in one hour, okay? But don't tell me what happens yet! (It looks good, though.)**

 **Anyway, what do you think of Bree's behavior? Is Douglas doing something, or is this all her? Do you want a full evil transformation, or do you want her to be redeemed again? (Your opinions won't really have any bearing on the story, sorry. I've already decided what I want to do; I'm just curious about what you guys think.) Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks so much for reading. Be sure to come back again in a few days to check out the new chapter. Bye!**


	2. Part II: Danger

**Wow, this second part is almost 4,000 words. Woo! And I even cut out another part because . . . well, it didn't really work. Also, turns out, this story still isn't over. There will be a third part, and a forth as well! Though the fourth may be a kind of epilogue. We'll have to see.**

 **By the way, this is an evil Bree story, not an evil Chase story. Sorry, but if you want an evil Chase story, there are hundreds out there. I wanted to do something unique. As it is, Chase doesn't show up much in this story.**

 **This part of the story gets even darker. Let's just say that two people fight, and, well, it takes a dark turn. Also, Bree mimics one of the ways a failed Roman soldier would keep his dignity (though she doesn't go through with the action). And there's a bit of kissing. And a man with some** ** _very_** **evil intentions. Is that it? I think that's it.**

 **The soundtrack for the last chapter was "Monster" by Imagine Dragons. A better soundtrack for this part is "Demons" by the same group. Both songs are fantastic, of course, but I listened to Demons while writing.**

 **I don't own Lab Rats. Enjoy!**

* * *

 *** * * Part II: Danger * * ***

* * *

Bree pulled her books out of her locker as slowly as humanly possible. She could hear the other students walking around behind her. A tear slipped down her cheek. How envious she was of them, those who were normal. She didn't understand why so many children wanted to be superheroes. Didn't they know how hard it was?

"Bree?"

She wiped the tear stain off her cheek and plastered a fake smile on her face. Turning around, she came face-to-face with her boyfriend.

"Hi, Cameron," she said with a soft smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, sure. W-Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I tried calling you three times last night, and I sent a few dozen texts. You never answered."

"Um, you know—"

"You _always_ answer."

Bree took a deep, shuddering breath and hugged her books to her chest. She wouldn't lie. She wouldn't lie.

"I was with my dad," she said. "He didn't want me to have my phone on—it's a distraction, you know. We were trying to spend some time together and stuff."

Cameron was silent for a second. "I guess that makes sense. But isn't your dad a tech mogul? You think he wouldn't be opposed to that."

Bree shrugged. "Maybe it would've interfered with something. I thought it was better not to ask."

"You're probably right. But why didn't you tell me you wouldn't have it?"

"I just forgot. I-I haven't been sleeping well lately, and things keep slipping my mind. Things have been a bit . . . crazy. Nothing's wrong, though, I promise."

Cameron tilted his head. "Are you sure? I mean, you seem to be changing a lot. I've never seen you dress like that before." He reached up to pull off her hood, but she jumped backwards.

"No!" she snapped. Then she cleared her throat and whispered, "I, uh, have really bad bedhead. Not much time to get ready for school this morning."

Cameron sighed. "Why do I feel like you're lying to me?"

"I'm not."

She wasn't. Bree truly did have an awful case of bedhead—Douglas wouldn't let her borrow his brush. To be honest, aside from the messy hair, she didn't know why she didn't want Cameron to take off her hood. Something about it made her feel protected; it shielded her from the rest of the world. She didn't want even Cameron messing that up.

"Cam, everything's good, I swear," Bree said. "My family's been a bit crazy, and I'm still trying to process everything . . . that's all. Oh, and speaking of my family, if you see my brothers today, don't tell them you talked to me."

"Why not?"

"We've been fighting a lot this week. We're not exactly on speaking terms."

"Right, but the two of us are. Why can't I tell them I saw you?"

Bree sighed. "I kinda . . . left without them this morning." _Yesterday afternoon._ "I don't want to talk to them yet, but they want to talk to me. I don't want them to come up and find me. So . . ." She trailed off, realizing her arguments weren't doing much. " _Please_ , Cam."

Her boyfriend sighed. "Bree, you've been acting really strange for the past few weeks. I'm worried about you."

Bree put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are," she whispered. "And I promise one day I'll tell you everything, but not today. Can you trust me?"

Cameron shook his head, but he smiled. "Fine. But you'd better explain soon, Bree Davenport."

"I promise."

This time, she lied.

Never had those words felt so empty, so meaningless. Never had Bree said such a blatant lie; never had she made such a dreadful promise that she had no intention of keeping. Bree Davenport was a girl of her word . . . not anymore. Bree Davenport was a liar.

Cameron took her hand and leaned in, kissing her full on the lips. Bree let herself melt into him, loving the feeling of another human being beside her. It felt glorious to be the object of love. Sorrow diminished the joy when she realized that her own family didn't love her nearly this much. She hardly even received a hug—and when she did, it was a group hug not even meant for her alone.

"Hey, no PDA in the hall! Cut it out!"

Bree and Cameron were ripped violently apart at the voice of their principal. They stared at each for a few more seconds, effectively ignoring the stocky lady beside them.

"Off to class, meatsack," Principal Perry growled. "You too, daffodil."

The couple separated. Cameron waved over his shoulder as they walked apart. Bree turned and folded her arms across her chest. Instead of heading to class, she ran into the bathroom.

Bree whipped off her hood and grabbed her tangled hair. She ran her hands through it in a desperate attempt to straighten it out. After a few minutes and a few drops of water, she managed to get it presentable. She studied it and smiled.

Then, she pulled up her hood and frowned.

"I love Cameron, but today I'm incredibly glad that he's not the brightest."

* * *

Bree doodled in her margins of her notebook paper just like she did every day, but today it wasn't because she was bored. It was more out of habit than anything, she supposed. That and it felt good to create something.

With every beat of Bree's heart, the same exhilarating sentence was repeated in her head.

 _I understand this._

 _I understand this._

 _I understand this!_

Not anymore did Bree stare at her math textbook with a blank face. Every problem, every word, every number made complete sense. Of course, she wasn't about to admit that to the others in her class. Still, the excitement and joy at _knowing_ what she learned was overpowering. _This must be how Chase feels._

The bell rang, signaling lunch. Bree shoved her books into her bag and ran out ahead of all the other students—it helped that she had the seat closest to the door. She kept her head down in the hall, the same way she had done since she arrived at school. It wasn't far to the cafeteria anyway.

 _Made it through the morning. Phew. Wait, what am I going to do about this afternoon? Chase is in my physics class! Ugh, why does he have to be so smart and advanced? I can't let him see me. Okay, okay, stay calm. I'll figure this out. I've got the hood on . . . oh, but we have assigned seats. Mr. Burger won't let us change it. Chase knows where I sit! He'll try to find me and talk to me. Out of anyone, I can_ not _talk to Chase. Just stay calm. I'll figure this out. I'll figure this out._

Bree grabbed a tray and watched the lunch lady scoop a pile of "meat" onto her plate. At this point Bree was too distracted to care about the slop they fed her. She turned to find a table, and her eyes widened when she spotted Adam, Chase, and Leo enter the cafeteria.

Without a second through, Bree rushed out the door and hurried outside. She walked down the side of the school and sat underneath the bleachers beside the softball field. She put her tray on her lap and her backpack beside her.

"I can't do this," she mumbled. "I don't . . . I don't ever want to see them again. They can't understand why I did this . . . they might be impressed by my abilities, but they won't care _why_ I got them. Mr. Davenport will never forgive me for going to Douglas. I can't do this. I can't go back in there."

"I'm telling you, I saw her come out here!"

Bree crawled further under the bleachers and peeked out between the slats in the seat. She saw her brothers walking beside the field, clearly looking for her.

"Bree!" Adam hollered.

"Leo, are you sure you saw her?" Chase asked.

Bree's fingers curled around one of the poles supporting the stands. Another tear slipped down her cheek, for the umpteenth time that day. She couldn't do that to her brothers. She would go back; they would take her back and love her. Right?

 _They've never done that before . . ._

"She probably skipped school," Chase continued. "She's been such a pain lately."

"Chase!" Leo protested.

"No, he's right, Leo," Adam said. "Every time we go on a mission, she starts spacing out and stuff. It started when she destroyed her chip."

"Yeah," Chase said. "She left our team. She was thinking only about herself. She completely abandoned our team and left Adam and me to make do without her. We need her abilities. There's a reason she's on the team! Doesn't she understand that?"

"I'm sure she does, Chase," Leo said.

"She left us behind," Adam mumbled.

"Exactly," Chase said. Bree could see the scowl on his face. "She's supposed to be our sister."

 _And you're supposed to be my brothers, but that doesn't seem to stop you from talking about me behind my back. Yes, I made a mistake in destroying my chip, but I didn't want to mess up our team. I thought you forgave me for that._

Bree reached up and wiped the tears away. No, she wouldn't waste precious tears on her stupid brothers. Let them be angry at her; she didn't care anymore.

She didn't care about anything anymore.

Bree's hand slipped off the pole and she crawled out from her spot under the bleachers. She heard one of her brothers—Leo, she thought—call her name. She stood still for exactly one point five seconds. After that, she took off running at her top speed—leaving her backpack and lunch and brothers behind.

Next thing she knew, Bree was at Douglas's lab. He had forgotten to blindfold her when she left, and she paid careful attention to the location so she could find it again. She walked through the door in the dingy hallway and stood there, waiting for her father to notice.

"Ah, Bree! What are you doing back here?" he asked, shooting up from his seat behind some computer screens.

"I'm ready for training."

"Isn't school still going on?"

"Yes, but you were right; it was a bad idea to go. I . . . I felt like I would glitch." At least this time it was only a half-lie.

Douglas walked over to her and took her hand. "Well, I told you. If you're ready for some training, I've got a few exercises planned. Do you think you're up to them?"

Bree nodded. "I need something to distract me. Plus, I want to learn how to master these abilities."

"Great." Douglas grinned. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Bree collapsed into the chair. Douglas knelt beside her. "Bree," he whispered as he put a hand on her knee.

"Don't . . . say . . . anything," she gasped. "But I think that maybe we should be done for today."

Douglas nodded. "Good call. Bree, I told you to stop pushing yourself. You're putting too much pressure on your chip. Not only that . . ." He put a hand on her chest. "On your heart too. Bree, you're hurting yourself, physically and emotionally."

Bree wanted to say something snappy, something clever. But as she looked into Douglas's desperate eyes, she couldn't say anything besides, "You're really a good dad, you know that?"

The two enveloped each other in a warm hug, Bree pressing her face into Douglas's shoulder. It felt so good. Who knew a psychopath would be the best one to give her comfort? Then again, Douglas really just wanted his kids. Why could she never see that before? She regretted every second she ran away from him; she found love in his arms.

"I created you for scientific reasons," he whispered in her ear. "But I love you now for fatherly reasons." He was silent for a moment. "You know, I'm not really used to this."

"Me neither," Bree whispered.

"But I think I like it."

"Me too."

They pulled apart. Truth be told, neither were exactly the kind to heap mounds of affection on another human being. Two people, drifting through life unloved, had found the best kind of love in each other: the love of a family. Bree couldn't believe it had taken them so long to get here.

Her phone, which sat on the nearby table, buzzed. The screen showed the name of the man Bree had left behind to find her _real_ father. She rubbed her biceps and leaned back into the chair, letting the silent ringing of the phone continue.

Douglas bit his lip. "You know, you should probably go home. Just so that they know you're okay. I'm guessing you avoided your brothers today, right?"

Bree shrugged and blew air over her lips.

"Look, I know my brother. And whatever you think about him, I know that he's going to be worried about you."

"He'll be worried about my bionics," Bree corrected him. "I spent the night without my capsule. If there's a mission, I can't go on it. That's why he's worried."

Douglas ran a hand through his hair. "My brother has a hard time seeing the value of other human beings—runs in the family, I guess. But trust me when I say that he's worried about you because you're his daughter."

"I'm _your_ daughter."

"Yeah, but not to him."

Bree's phone dinged, and she glanced over it.

 _From: Donald Davenport_

 _To: Bree Davenport_

 _8:35_

 _Bree, where are you? Are you okay? Please, honey, we're worried. If you ran away, we're sorry. We just want you home. Come home, sweetie._

"He never calls me sweetie," Bree mumbled. "Not until I've left him."

"I've half a mind to reactivate your GPS," Douglas said.

"No need." Bree heaved a sigh. "I'll head home. I can't guarantee that I'll stay, but I'll go back tonight at least. Just to give them a chance to explain themselves."

She stood up and pulled off her hood. She headed off to exit the lab, but stopped and turned back around.

"Thank you, Dad," she whispered. "And I'll be back; don't worry."

Douglas folded his arms across his chest and smirked, but she could tell that he was pleased . . . and perhaps even a bit emotional, though he did everything he could to hide it. "See you around, kid."

Bree nodded and headed out.

The walk back to the Davenport mansion was a long one, but Bree didn't feel like using her super speed. She was still exhausted after the day's training, and it felt nice to simply walk down the road.

The last rays of the sun set in the west and a cool breeze blew through the alley. Somewhere in the distance sirens wailed, and a few blocks down a dog howled. Everything seemed normal and perfect. It was nice.

Suddenly Bree felt a hand on her shoulder—a strong hand, at that. "What have we here?" a dangerous voice hissed. "A pretty little girl wandering the streets at night, all alone."

"What do you want?" Bree asked, trying not to let her voice shake. _Oh, please don't tell me I'm being mugged . . . or worse._

The figure spun her around and she came face-to-face with a wiry man in his mid-twenties. His breath smelled vaguely like cigarettes and Bree could tell by the look in his eye that he could have no decent thoughts in his head.

"Some money might be nice," he rasped. "'Course, maybe I can get a little . . . _pleasure_ from you."

A shiver went down Bree's spine. _Worse._ "Not going to happen."

The man laughed. "Oh, girly, if you don't want something like this to happen, you shouldn't be walking around back here at this hour. Didn't your daddy ever teach you to stay away from places like this?"

* * *

 _"You guys are going to be heroes. That means doing a lot of things that make you uncomfortable. You'll be going to dangerous places often, and you've got to learn how to be safe. Most people would stay away, but I have to teach you how to be safe in the middle of the danger. Play your cards right, stick together, and put your training to good use, and you'll come out of the danger unharmed. There's no avoiding the trouble, though. In order to help others, you'll have to go to where they're at . . . and that can never be a good place. I'll teach you how to defend yourself, and someday, you'll learn just how important these techniques are."_

* * *

 _Why can't happy memories last?_

Bree chuckled. "No, he taught me something quite different."

The man lunged at her, but Bree moved out of the way with the deftness supplied by super agility. He looked surprised, but that didn't stop him. He reached out to grab her shoulder. She yelled and grabbed his arm, flipping him over. She twisted his arm around backwards until she heard a satisfying _crack_ and his strangled yelp.

Why did she feel happier at that moment than she ever had going on any mission and helping people?

This was justice. It was much more direct justice, but it was justice all the same.

Right?

The man hopped to his feet and cradled his broken arm. "Wh-What are you?" he stammered.

"Your worst nightmare."

Bree pulled her hood back up, and for some reason, that simple motion made her attacker's eyes widen even more.

"I give up; I give up!" he yelped, holding up his good arm and squeezing his eyes shut.

"I don't." The venom in Bree's voice thrilled and terrified her—an odd combination that she had felt quite often lately. It began to feel wonderful . . . normal, even.

Bree walked up to him and grabbed his collar, pushing his against the wall of the alley. "I'm not the first person you've taken advantage of, am I?" she hissed. She pulled him away, only to slam him into the wall again. "How many young, lonely girls have fallen prey to your attacks?" She repeated the action. "Not today. Today, you meet your match."

The man moaned as the blood trickled down the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Stop, please!"

Bree paused for a moment. "It's too late for redemption," she spat. Whether she was talking to the man or herself, she had no idea.

With that, she pulled him back away from the wall. He cringed, expecting to be thrown into it again. Instead, Bree turned and hurled him at an empty dumpster several feet away. His body collided with it and he fell to the ground, motionless.

Bree took a deep breath. Her mind still raced—adrenaline flooded every vein. Something in her snapped . . . and not just because of the man and his actions. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Then she looked at the man.

The man who was no longer breathing.

 _I killed a man._

 _I killed someone._

 _I'm a murderer._

Somewhere in the distance a police siren screamed, but Bree had already fled, her feet taking her far, far away from the gruesome scene.

* * *

The stars twinkled in the sky like so many fireflies trapped in the atmosphere. Beautiful. They were beautiful.

If only Bree could be beautiful too.

She sat against a tree, looking down at the mansion where her family resided. The lights were off already, of course. Home was so close, but it seemed so far. Bree couldn't bring herself to run down the hill and walk to the front door. She was content with looking at it from afar.

Something sharp stabbed her thigh, and Bree picked it up to find a rather fat stick. She rubbed her hand across it, feeling the smooth bark and marveling at its symmetry. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her trusty pocketknife. With a small sigh, she made her first cut on the wood.

Bree whittled. No one at school knew. Her brothers didn't care. Mr. Davenport used to, but not much anymore. It was one of her favorite hobbies, though she didn't do it often nowadays.

She could still remember the first time she used Mr. Davenport's Swiss army knife to carve an elaborate pattern on her pencil. She chuckled; she had been a strange kid with strange hobbies.

Bree frowned. Were all those things leading up to the way she felt today?

Was it so wrong that every cut in the wood made her feel complete? Was it wrong that sometimes she wished it wasn't wood?

Was it so wrong that she used to play "interrogation" with her Barbie dolls? Was it wrong that she had no remorse about "torturing" them?

Was it so wrong that she would jump out and scare her brothers just for the heck of it? Was it wrong that she would occasionally hurt them in the process—on purpose?

Was it so wrong that she sometimes wondered why they went to all that trouble to save people? Was it wrong that she sometimes didn't want to help anyone anymore?

 _I killed a man._

 _I killed someone._

 _I'm a murderer._

How could she go home now? Clearly something dark had taken over her mind. Maybe Douglas had done something . . . but she knew that was a lie.

Somewhere deep inside she still cared about her brothers, about Mr. Davenport. Somewhere deep inside—extremely deep—she could feel a bit of affection; a bit of love. As much as they had hurt her over the years, she was terrified of hurting them . . . hurting them the same way she hurt the man who attacked her.

 _How can I have a boyfriend? How can I have a family? I'm just a killer. No wonder they never loved me. Somehow, somehow they saw what I was becoming. Why would they waste energy on me?_

The thoughts lasted for hours until tear streaks covered Bree's cheeks. She hated herself for crying, but she couldn't seem to stop.

Finally Bree finished on the piece of wood. She held up the sharp stick, whittled into the shape of a dagger. It was one of her best pieces, undoubtedly.

"What was it the Roman soldiers used to do when they lost a battle?" Bree mumbled, trying to remember one of the images she had seen in history class.

Bree fell to her knees, with the full moon bathing her in its glow. She put the dagger diagonal to her chest with the point right situated right above her heart. After a few seconds, she lowered her hand and sat back on her heels.

Even if the stick was sharp enough to penetrate her chest, Bree wouldn't dare do it.

 _You deserve to die. You killed a man. You should die before someone else does._

Bree shuddered. "No," she whispered to herself. "If anything, my life is just beginning."

It had taken years of searching, but Bree was fairly certain she had finally found herself. Everything from the past few days felt _right_.

Douglas had told her that evil was in her blood. Could she truly be evil?

"Could I really be evil?"

"If you're truly evil, then perhaps I don't need to carry out my original plans for you," a voice answered.

Bree hopped to her feet, clutching her dagger tightly in her hands. She gasped as a tall man in a black cloak moved out from the shadows into the light of the moon.

"Oh, who am I kidding? You're already slated for destruction. Nothing you decide about right and wrong will change that."

This was it; this was her mission. It was why she had all the bionic abilities; it was why she accepted them; it was why they had been given to her. That mix of exhilaration and fear swept over her again at the thought of finally putting this man out of his misery.

"Krane," she hissed, clutching the dagger tighter than ever.

* * *

 **Whoops, was that a cliffhanger? Oh well. It was getting really long, so I figured I needed to cut it off. That seemed to be a good place. So, how'd you all like the chapter? Pretty dark stuff, I know. Hey, I warned you!**

 **Btw, I did see that Lab Rats episode Wednesday, and it was awesome! :D Man, I love that show. ;) Also, Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans out there! Eat many hot dogs for me. Ooh! And watermelon. And of course, I'll eat some too. :)**

 **Who else tortured their Barbie dolls? No one? Just me and my buddy? M'kay. Hey, it was mostly my friend, okay? D:**

 **What did you all think of the chapter? I always like reviews. It's nice to know what you think of the story. I'm glad you guys like the evil Bree twist. So, what do you think she should do to Krane? (I'm asking this because I'm actually technically undecided, so who knows? Maybe your suggestions will influence me. :) ) What do you think of her recent actions? Should she go home to her family or not? Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, everyone! See you in a few days for part three. Bye!**


	3. Part III: Power

**Hey! I'm finally back again! I've been under a lot of stress lately, but that finally (mostly) went away when I got an extension on a really hard project I've been working on. Seriously, it was keeping me up at night, trying to figure out what to do, but now I don't have to worry about getting it done so soon.** ** _Phew_** **.**

 **Anyway, I'm back! And guess what? This story is now a five-shot! Woo! Anywho, this chapter is . . . pretty dark. Again, the whole story is. So beware.**

 **In this process of writing this and doing some thinking, I figured out what the most powerful, dangerous, and** ** _deadly_** **bionic ability is. And it's not the one you think it is! In fact, it's never been used to intentionally harm another human being on the show (at least, not in the way I use it). I took that power and twisted around, and the result was something very,** ** _very_** **dark, so watch out.**

 **The soundtrack for this chapter is also "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. It fits pretty well, I think, except for** ** _perhaps_** **the first part with Krane.**

 **I only edited this once, so I apologize for any grammar mistakes and the like. I don't own Lab Rats! Enjoy . . .**

* * *

 *** * * Part III: Power * * ***

* * *

"Joined Douglas, did we?" Krane hissed, circling Bree. She copied his motion, arms raised, ready for whatever he would do to her.

"He made a pretty good offer," Bree mumbled.

Something was off. She was off her game. Her mind was unstable . . . so were her legs. Everything was entirely off. The new powers . . . the new darkness . . . the new insanity . . .

"It should be easy to destroy you. Picking you off one by one is much wiser than facing the three of you together. Without your precious team, you're much weaker."

Bree's brow furrowed. "I don't need them," she growled. "I'm powerful enough on my own!"

Krane held up his arms. "Prove it."

He intended to trap her. His challenging words were a ploy, a ruse, intended to rile her up. He wanted her to fight him; he wanted her to lose.

Her family was down the hill. How easy would it be for her to run down, throw open the door, and scream for help? Too easy.

 _You're strong._

 _You're smart._

 _Finally._

 _Do it!_

Bree screamed and shoved her palms forward, and in doing so used telekinesis to throw the villain back into one of the trees. He rubbed his head and scowled.

"I learned a few new tricks," Bree said with a smirk.

"I see that," Krane growled. "Well, let's see how your new tricks hold up under _my_ power."

A blast sent her back into the tree. Before she had time to react, another blast knocked her to the ground. A third hit between her should blades and knocked the wind out of her.

"Still pathetic," Krane hissed as he stood above her.

Bree scowled and rolled over. She held out her hands and shot electricity from her fingers. Krane screamed in pain and took a step backwards. As she stood up, he lowered his arms and his frown deepened.

"Nice try, little girl."

"I'm not a little girl anymore." _When will they realize that?_

She felt her body swell with energy; no wonder Adam loved this blast wave power. With a scream, she let it loose. Krane flew backwards and skidded in the dirt. Bree wiped her brow and walked closer.

Krane looked up at her with a scowl still on his face. "What did you do to yourself?"

Bree met his gaze fearlessly. "Same thing you did to yourself; power's an alluring concept. I'm starting to understand your motives for everything you've done. This world is full of idiots and cruel people. I'm starting to see that you're not wrong for anything you've done. But you're still trying to kill me, and I can't let _that_ happen."

Krane smirked. "I don't suppose you'd consider joining me."

Bree shook her head. "Not in a million years. Forgiveness was never my strong suit."

Krane laughed. "Fair enough. But it doesn't matter, because in a few seconds you'll be dead anyway."

Still on the ground, still with his back against the tree, Krane formed a fireball between his fingers. He grinned sadistically as it grew in strength and size.

Bree reached out a hand, took a deep breath, and concentrated. The energy from the fireball moved from Krane's hands to hers. He looked up in surprise as she drew the energy from his power. The fireball formed in her own hand, but instead of using that against Krane, she let it disappear into the nearby air.

* * *

 _"Energy transference. Pretty simple. It transfers energy from one place to another. You can draw from one energy source and give it to the other."_

* * *

 _Humans are energy sources._

 _Oh, Douglas. I wonder if you knew the dark side of this power._

Bree had never felt so alive. Strength and vigor entered her body like it never had before. Even as the man in front of her screamed, she felt at peace.

For some reason, she didn't care that Krane's facial hair grew whiter and whiter. For some reason, she didn't care as his face wrinkled up and his eye sockets widened. For some reason, she didn't care as he, a villain who had in the past seemed invincible, pleaded for mercy.

As the last bit of energy left her enemy's body and entered hers, Bree copied Krane's sadistic grin.

* * *

Bree scaled the wall one step at a time. Her mind raced with all the thoughts about the stupidness of this idea. Still, she had to know; she had to see. She needed one more glance before she left it forever.

She took a deep breath as she pulled herself through the window and looked around. The room was empty and dark; no surprise, considering it was already after midnight. She noticed that the door had been broken off its hinges; no doubt the work of her older brother. Bree walked to the center of the room—her room—looking at the pattern on the floor created by the glow from the moon outside.

The first thing Bree did was change her clothes—using super speed to make the process go faster. She had gotten tired of the grimy feeling, considering she'd worn the same outfit for two days already.

 _Was it really only yesterday that I left Adam and Chase in the fire?_

Bree kept her hoodie on, however. She couldn't bear to take it off. She also pulled a black bandana out of her dresser and stuck it in her pocket. She had a feeling it might come in handy someday in the future.

Next Bree reached for her old notebook on the desk. She grabbed her favorite purple pencil and sighed. With her heart pounding in her chest, she scribbled a quick note and tore the page out of the book. She glanced around for a good place to put it.

Footsteps in the hall interrupted her train of thought. She jumped and ran into the closet, doing everything in her power to control her breathing. She left the door open a crack and peeked through, curious about who would be up this late.

Leo walked into the room holding a cup with steam coming out of it. Hot chocolate—Leo's favorite. Bree smiled involuntarily at that simple fact of life.

Cup clutched firmly in his hands, he walked over to the wall. He grinned and looked at his toes. Bree realized that a picture of their family hung at his eye level; that was what he smiled about.

"Man, I miss you, Bree," Leo whispered.

Bree sat on her heels, cocked her head, and listened carefully to what her stepbrother said next.

"We all do, really. But I _really_ do. I promise we'll get you back. Big D's working on it." He touched the picture frame and chuckled. "Man, I knew you didn't like us, but did we really managed to drive you away?" His smile fell. "I don't make promises lightly. We'll find you, and we _will_ bring you home. We'll get our family back together."

 _Family._

 _Family._

 _Not team._

 _Family._

"Maybe tomorrow will be a bit better. Though, I guess it's today now, huh? Since it's after midnight and everything? Whatever. _Today_ will be better. It _has_ to be better. Goodnight, Bree."

Leo walked out of the room sipping his hot chocolate. Bree opened the closet and stepped out. At that moment she realized that the note was still clutched firmly in her hands. She read the words over one more time and came to a decision.

Anyone who came in the room after that would find a note tapped to the family photograph, which now lay in the center of the room.

Bree wrote a second note, similar to the first, though a tad bit less sentimental. She stuffed it in her pocket and jumped out the window. She pressed her hands to the wall and proceeded to climb down.

Another sound came from the room. A door opening, some shuffling, and a gasp. Leo's face appeared at the window. Bree pressed herself against the side of the house. At his angle, he shouldn't be able to see her, and her dark hoodie helped her blend in.

"Bree!" Leo shouted to the wind. "Bree!"

Bree had to bite her lip to keep another tear from forming—she was done crying, she had told herself. Instead she stayed there, waiting, though for what, she had no idea.

"Bree!" Leo shouted again. "Come back! We need you!"

 _They need me._

 _They really need me._

 _Do they really need me?_

Every fiber of her being told her to climb back up and fall into Leo's waiting arms. She could finally be home, finally be safe. She could have comfort instead of misery, and her family would be there for her.

Except they didn't want her as family. They wanted their stupid team to get together again, and that was why she left in the first place.

Besides, she could never be safe from . . . whatever raged inside her soul. She wasn't safe, and neither was anyone her. She could rationalize her actions by telling herself that it was for the good of her family; she didn't want to hurt them.

While that was partially true, it was far from the real reason.

Mr. Davenport would find a way to take her powers away. She couldn't let that happen. Bree had a taste of true power, and she _loved_ it. She was not about to give up, not for the sake of her family, and definitely not for the sake of her _team_. Her new abilities were dangerous, but she found that she liked dangerous.

"Bree!" Leo called one last time.

One last chance to go back.

One last opportunity to run back to her family.

Bree didn't move.

Leo stepped away from the window, and she heard him run out of the room. He would probably go wake the rest of her family. She planned to be long gone before that happened.

Bree jumped off the wall and landed gracefully on the ground with her super agility. She looked up at the window again. "I'm sorry, Leo," she mumbled.

She ran away.

* * *

Bree walked through the forrest behind Cameron's house. She had just dropped her second note through her boyfriend's bedroom window. It had been even more curt than the one she left her family; admittedly, she felt a little bad.

 _You wouldn't want to see what I am now._

 _I'm afraid to hurt you._

 _I don't need a boyfriend; my abilities are enough._

 _I don't need to find my self worth in any human being anymore._

 _I'm powerful enough._

 _Stay away._

Bree came to a small creek, and she dragged her tennis shoes through the mud. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened it.

Twenty-three missed calls. Nineteen voicemails. One hundred and six unread text messages.

Bree swallowed. This might be the hardest thing she had ever done, but after thinking it through, it was what she really needed to do. How long until her father figured out how to trace her phone? How long could she really ignore those messages? How long until she slipped up, texted someone, visited some social media app and gave away information she didn't want anyone to know? She couldn't let that happen.

Bits of metal fell on her toes and into the creek as she crushed her phone in one hand. Bree chose to look up at the stars while she did it, trying to ease her anxiety. Finally, it was done, and her phone was nothing but a flattened sheet of circuitry and glass—entirely unusable. Bree threw the remains into the creek.

Then, she got down on her knees and cried again.

* * *

Bree woke up when something sharp and heavy collided with her side. Two groans echoed through the room simultaneously. Bree looked up to see Douglas lying on his stomach, rubbing his head.

"Why'd you kick me?" Bree moaned as she sat up.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not watching my step for sleeping teenage girls!" Douglas snapped. He stood, still rubbing his head. "What are you doing back here? I thought you went home."

"Yeah, but . . . everyone was asleep." She didn't say anything else; nothing about Krane, or the man who attacked her, or the note she left in her bedroom.

Douglas shrugged. "You wanna go back this morning?"

Bree sighed. "Maybe later. I think I want to rest here first; it's been a long night."

"Long night? What did you do?"

Bree sighed again. He would keep pressing, wouldn't he? No sense in holding it inside forever. "Let's just say you won't have to worry about Krane anymore."

Douglas looked up, his eyes wide. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! Okay, something. Krane's not a threat anymore, okay?"

"Bree, what . . . did . . . you . . . do? And give me a straight answer!"

"I . . . defeated him."

"What? How?" Douglas stammered, confusion etched into his features.

"He found me, I took care of him. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"But . . . I didn't think you were powerful enough yet."

"Neither did he. That's why he went down."

Douglas shook his head, completely flabbergasted. "Did you . . . you know . . . finish it?"

Bree remained quiet, wondering how to answer. "Whatever's left of him, I know the rest of my family can deal with it." _Dispose of the body, I guess._

"You're not going to tell me?"

Bree didn't answer.

"Bree, I don't care. I kinda hope he's dead. I'd just be shocked if you—"

"Had the guts to kill him? Yeah, I guess it would shock a lot of people." Bree leaned against the leg of a nearby table.

Douglas scratched his head. "Well . . . thank you. You're a pretty great girl, you know that?"

Bree couldn't stop herself from smiling. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.

Douglas grabbed a jacket off the back of a chair and put it on. "I'm going to run a few errands and get, you know, supplies and stuff. You okay here by yourself for a little bit?"

Bree studied her father's face carefully. "I'll be fine."

Douglas nodded and exited the basement. Bree stood up, a frown on her face. "I know you're lying," she whispered. "I know where you're really going."

Bree sat down at one of the computers. Where could she possibly go now? She had no idea what to do with her life now. New powers, new purpose, new drive. Her fingers shook as she remembered the feeling of draining Krane's energy from his body. She had felt so _alive_. What was wrong about that?

 _Because you're taking all that "alive" from someone else._

Nonetheless, Bree wanted to do it again. It felt amazing. She was powerful, and she could finally use that power to her advantage.

The lights flickered and Bree furrowed her brow. She stood up and looked around. She gasped when she spotted a figure standing in the doorway—a figure that most certainly wasn't Douglas.

"Oops, there's someone in here already," the figure—a teenage girl—said. "Sorry, toots, but I'm afraid this place is ours now."

 _Ours?_

The girl raised a gun and leveled it at Bree's chest. She fired without hesitation. Bree instinctively threw up her hands and blocked it with her new force field—just like she would in a simulation. The girl lowered her gun, shocked at the way the bullet bounced off the blue shield.

"I-I can explain!" Bree said.

"No need," the girl said with a laugh. "That was impressive. I guess I won't kill you—you could be useful. Now, uh, stand still."

Bree wasn't inclined to listen to some random girl who had attacked her a few seconds ago. She started to run away, but found she couldn't move her legs. Looking down, she saw that the metal floor had contorted to wrap around her feet and keep her from moving.

The rest of the floor peeled up, following the motion of the girl's hands. Bree's eyes widened at the sight. _There are more people with powers?_ Still, this girl didn't seem friendly, so Bree tried to wrest her feet out with her super strength. Unfortunately, it wasn't working well.

The metal flew up to create an egg shape around Bree's body. She pounded on the walls of her new prison, screaming at the girl on the other side. There was one gap in the metal at about eye level, and Bree frantically picked at it—despite the fact that it wasn't much bigger than the end of her pinky finger.

Though it was muffled, Bree could hear the voice of the girl on the other side. "Calm down. We'll offer you a better choice. This is . . . precaution, I guess. Girl, I have a feeling you'll be very helpful to us. I know this is scary, but trust me, you're in good hands. Or . . . bad hands, I guess." She chuckled, though Bree's frantic brain couldn't figure out why that was funny.

Something dark covered the small hole, and a green gas seeped in. Bree leaned back and held her breath, but it was too late. The darkness took her away to another place, a safer place, a comfortable place . . .

* * *

 _Hi . . . family? Or is it "team"?_

 _Don't look for me. I don't want to be found. I need to do this on my own. Guess your team member's gone missing. Not your daughter, not your sister; your team member. And I'm not coming back._

 _~ Bree Davenport_

 _P.S. I'm sorry you have to break your promise, Leo._

* * *

 **Energy transference is the single deadliest ability on the whole show. Seriously, it is! Those who have it could literally drain the life out of others, and effectively keep themselves young** ** _forever_** **! Basically, if Leo chose to turn evil,** ** _he would be undefeatable._** **Not that Lab Rats is going to do that, but still, plot bunny right there!**

 **Yeah, that was a fun chapter! What do you think of Bree's newfound use for energy transference? How about that random girl at the end? Friend of foe? Also, where did Douglas really go? Any thoughts?**

 **Reviews are appreciated, of course. Thanks for reading!**

 **By the way, I've fallen a bit behind on PMs and reviews and stuff, but I promise I'll catch up soon! I'm not ignoring any of you! I've just got a lot of stuff going on right now. Thanks for understanding. :)**

 **If you need me, I'll be in Gettysburg! (Anyone else see Spider Island last night? Man, I think I'm going to use that line at the end of all my chapters now. XD Leo's awesome.)**


	4. Part IV: Destiny

**Woo, I'm back! Finally! Yay! Ah, it's been a busy two weeks. I helped out at our VBS all last week (I was a leader! Ah!) and this week I'm helping run a sports camp. But never fear! I'm still writing. :3**

 **And by the way, to the guest commenting about all my stories, thanks. XD I know I've got a lot, but I have let people know that certain stories will take longer to update. And I didn't really expect my summer to be** ** _quite_** **this busy. Still, thanks for the good kick in the pants. I needed it. :3 I'll try to update all my stories as soon as I can. I'll be working on other ones, and I'm not starting any new multi-chaptered ones until the ones I'm working on now are finished. (This story was supposed to be a one-shot. XD) Anyway, thanks for the friendly reminder! I needed it.**

 **Anyway, this chapter gets** ** _even_** **darker. (Still nothing compared to the fifth and final one.) Just to be clear, I do not condone what Bree does, or what the people around her do. There's a lot of moral ambiguity here, and basically, no one's the good guy (except maybe Leo). Still, take it all with a grain of salt, mull it over, and** ** _never_** **do what Bree does in this chapter.**

 **Chapter soundtrack: Back to "Monster" by Imagine Dragons. Please pardon any grammar/spelling mistakes (or let me know so I can fix them). I don't own Lab Rats, of course. Enjoy!**

* * *

 *** * * Part IV: Destiny * * ***

* * *

"Can I touch it?"

"No."

"But I want to touch it."

"I said no."

"I _want_ to touch it!"

"It's not even an _it_. That's a _she_!"

"Fine. Can I touch she?"

" _Her_. And no, you can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we need her."

"But I wanna touch!"

"No. Now, shut up. I have work to do."

Bree wrinkled her forehead, searching for the strength to open her eyes. Above her, two people argued. By the words they spoke, Bree would've assumed it was her brothers. She probably woke up in the lab to them arguing about something stupid. Only, one of the voices belonged to a girl.

"I think it . . . she . . . her . . . is waking up!"

Sure enough, Bree cracked open her eyes, becoming fully aware of her surroundings. There wasn't much to see. Two teenagers stood before her, one boy and one girl. The room was no bigger than a large closet, and on the wall opposite her sat a large computer monitor and console. Other than that, nothing decorated the room.

"Who are you?" Bree rasped. "Where am I?"

The boy grinned. "Somewhere safe. Well, _safer_."

Bree made a move to stand up, and that was when she fully understood the position she was in. She was on her knees, and chains anchored to the wall wrapped around her wrists. She looked up, glaring at her captors.

"Calm down," the girl said. The girl! The same girl who had attacked Bree in Douglas's lair. It all came back to her.

Bree made a move to rip the chains out of the wall. She could see the cement cracking under the force, but before she could rip them out and free herself, the boy walked up. He placed his hands on her neck, underneath her hood, and looked down into her eyes.

"Please give us a chance to explain," the boy said. "We're like you: something special."

Suddenly Bree found herself unable to move anything below her neck. Her bionics refused to respond. She was helpless, right where they wanted her, utterly trapped. She closed her eyes and snarled.

"Give us a chance," the boy said again. "We're just like you. You've been hurt, haven't you? Abused. Locked up, away from society. Experimented on. Forced to do things you never wanted to do. Given abilities you never wanted to control."

"W-Who are you?" Bree stammered, relieved to know she could still control her voice.

The boy took a step back. "You can call me Tex," he said. "And that's Lidy."

"I got it from my number," the girl said. "12-9-4-25. Numbered in the alphabet, that's L-I-D-Y. Not a real name, maybe, but I don't know what else to use."

"Number?" Bree repeated.

"Yeah. Did you ever have a number?"

"No. At least, I don't think the way you mean . . ."

"A scientific name," Tex clarified. "For example, _I_ was T-37. But I picked Tex because, well, it sounds cool."

"Uh, I didn't have a number, but . . ."

From the earliest of Bree's memories, something popped into her mind. _Subject B_. A name she despised, a name that wasn't even a name. She hated it, hated it until she got a real name. She never looked back, never remembered. She didn't want to remember a time when her identity was nothing but a letter.

"Subject B," she mumbled, her mind elsewhere. "I was Subject B."

"Do you have a name now?" Lidy asked.

"It's Bree."

"Bree. Pretty. I like it."

"Well, Bree," Tex said, "it's good to have you here."

"Not like I have much of a choice."

"Sorry about the chains. We just have to make sure you won't kill us. Obviously you're special; Lidy testified to that. We're special too. We are the products of ingenuity; the next biggest thing. We are the _subjects_ of science. We're lab rats, outcasts, experiments. Anything but human. For those of us who broke free, we want to get revenge. We've banded together and vowed to destroy those who use 'science' as a way to degrade and dehumanize people."

"So . . . you're bionic too?" Bree asked.

Tex shook his head. "Not bionic. Well, yes and no. Not in the same way as you, apparently." He turned and touched something on the console. A picture of Bree's bionic infrastructure popped up on the screen.

"I have scanners!" Lidy said in a chirpy tone.

Bree rose an eyebrow, but turned her attention back to Tex—the one of the two who seemed to actually have intelligence.

"Yes, Lidy," Tex sighed. "Bree, you've got a pretty amazing structure. Who designed it?"

"Douglas Davenport."

Tex cocked his head. "Davenport?"

"Brother of Donald Davenport. I've actually lived with Donald my whole life . . . he took me away from Douglas."

"And by lived, you mean . . .?"

"I . . . I stayed in his basement while he trained my abilities . . . well, mine and my brothers'."

Tex grinned. "That's what I thought. I knew Davenport Industries couldn't be as ethical as they claim to be. Keeping children in the basement is hardly a humane way to raise them, wouldn't you think?"

Bree gritted her teeth. "I couldn't agree with you more."

Tex turned off the screen, walked over to Bree, and knelt down in front of her. "You've been mistreated," he whispered. "I can see it in your eyes."

Flashes. Memories. Things she wanted to forget, but never quite could. Nightmares, but nightmares that happened while she was awake. Screams, needles, and computer screens. Suffocating pain.

Bree squeezed her eyes shut. Beads of sweat rolled off her forehead, and they didn't go unnoticed by those around her.

"Yes," Tex whispered, "remember. You grew attached to your captors. You let yourself block out the memories . . . the memories of what really happened to you."

 _What really happened . . . what really happened . . ._

Bree opened her eyes to see herself sitting on a cold metal table. In front of her were her brothers, both with their heads bowed and eyes closed. Thousands of wires wrapped around their bodies. Bree looked down to see the same was true for her. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. All around her, lights flashed. Someone trying to calm her down . . . his voice was harsh and grating. _His voice_. A voice that was first an enemy, but now an ally . . . no, he was her enemy again.

" _Ah_!"

"Yes, yes. Bree, you can't block this out forever. Science hurt you."

* * *

 _"Please, please, stop!" a young boy sobbed._

 _Bree sobbed too, only because she couldn't help him. She couldn't do anything. She could see everything playing out before her eyes; a tragedy, one she was supposed to stop. Only, she couldn't. She couldn't do it all! She would fail!_

 _"I'm only a little girl!" she screamed, dropping to her knees. "You're awful! Let me out!"_

* * *

Bree opened her eyes, chest heaving. Hair clung to her sweaty forehead and the heat trapped inside her hoodie suffocated her, but she didn't care. She stared at the cold metal ground. "I-I forgot . . ." she whispered. "I forgot what exactly they did to me."

"We all try to forget," Tex whispered. Bree could hear the genuine concern in his voice. "I too tried to forget . . . the experiments, the pain, the nausea, the screams, the agony . . . you've seen it all too."

"H-He got better about it," Bree gasped. "He made me a hero. He was really my father."

"But before that?"

"He . . . he . . ." Bree swallowed. "I wasn't a human to him. I was a lab rat. I couldn't even go upstairs. I got no free time. No toys. No games. Training, simulations . . . I had to watch my brothers die . . . sometimes several times in a row. He said it would prepare me . . ." Another tear rolled down her cheek.

"They never reform," Tex growled. "Don't believe his nice-guy act."

Bree looked up, blinking her eyes to rid them of tears. "Let me move," she whispered. "I promise I won't try to escape. Just let me move my body again."

"I'll do you one better."

Tex placed his hands on her neck again, and Bree felt herself regain control of her limbs. The boy then moved to remove the chains from her wrists. He stepped back in front of her and got down on his knees, in the same position as her. Lidy moved to the corner of the room, as if knowing that Tex could handle what came next on his own.

"The gave me powers," he whispered to Bree. "Genetic mutations and tampering with my DNA. I have abilities, but they're not easy to control. Sometimes they hurt."

"I'm a cyborg," Lidy said without moving. She held out her arms. "I was born without forearms. I was a foster kid. They took me away and . . . well, they said they made me better. Everything from the elbow down is a machine." She lowered them as if ashamed and took a shaky breath.

"I'm bionic," Bree whispered. "My father and uncle created bionics for robots to do jobs humans couldn't. But my father went behind his brother's back and implanted them into me and my siblings. Then my uncle took me away and locked me up in his basement for fourteen years."

Tex smirked. "Complicated family."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Oh, you don't know the half of it."

"We found you in that warehouse. We search science labs to find supplies . . . and occasionally kids. And we found you."

"Technically I wasn't being experimented on there. Well, I was, but only because I asked." Bree sighed. "My father gave me even more abilities. I have so much power now . . ." Bree trailed off, staring at the wall opposite her.

Tex nodded. "Good. Then I have a proposal for you. Remember how I said that we who escaped wanted revenge on scientists?"

"We?"

"Yes. There are dozens more out there; science has been busy the past decade. We're a group, dedicated to eradicating all the 'scientists' who would use us as mere experiments. And Bree, we need your help."

Lidy walked over to the computer and pulled up an image of a man that looked faintly familiar to Bree. His fancy clothing revealed this wealth, and his face was that of a middle-aged man.

"Quentin Teel," Lidy whispered, "founder of Teel Tech. But did you know that many of the people testing his dangerous products are only kids? He's managed to keep the law off his tail, but he can't fool us."

"We've been terrorizing him for months," Tex continued. "But it's time to bring him down for good. He's in town this week; the perfect opportunity. Bree, if you want to join us and help us fight against this injustice, you'll have the amazing honor of getting rid of him."

"You mean you . . . want me to kill him?" Oddly enough, Bree wasn't as disturbed by that as she thought she would be.

Tex nodded and grinned. "If the law refuses to bring him to justice because everything he does is 'in the name of science,' well, we'll have to do it ourselves."

"Isn't that, you know, wrong?"

Tex flinched. "Is it wrong to lock kids up in a basement and force them to test new products? To exploit them for the greater good of society? The benefit for the world is amazing, but the cost is much too high. There are other options, but these men refuse to consider them. Is it wrong to use humans as lab rats?"

"So you're repaying evil with evil?"

"We're ridding the world of a man who hurts innocent children. Children like you and me! Does that bother you?"

Bree lowered her head. "It should. I know that it should. But . . . it doesn't. I've been questioning a lot of things lately. And I'm starting to think that maybe I should use my powers in a different way than I use them now."

"So you're in?"

Bree looked up and smirked. "Do you guys believe in destiny?"

* * *

It was wrong. She knew that. But, like she so often did these days, she didn't care.

Things had fallen into place. The stars aligned. Fate leaned on the doorbell, and she wasn't about to turn him away. So maybe Fate's ideas nowadays weren't very ethical, but she didn't care.

Would she ever care again?

* * *

 _"You're in position?"_

"Yes, I have a clear shot. Why don't you want me to use my bionics for this one again?"

 _"Because this is public. We want to make an example of him, but the people can't know who's doing this. If they find out about our powers . . ._ your _powers, they'll think we're vicious murderers. They'll never give us a chance."_

Bree nodded, even though she knew Tex couldn't see her through the phone. She flipped it shut and stuffed it in her pocket before cocking her gun and aiming it squarely at the chest of her target. Quentin Teel stood outside the hotel, chatting with his admirers. It was a perfect shot.

Then, from the alleys below, Bree heard voices shouting her name. She looked down, staring into the dark night. Down below, racing through the empty streets, were three teenage boys and two men. Bree's eyes widened. _How did they find me?_ It didn't matter. They were too late. _Too late to save me . . ._

She tugged the edge of her hood down and pointed the gun at her target. In the distance, she could hear the voices of her father, of her uncle, of her brothers . . . all yelling at her to stop. Their voices were drowned out by her own racing thoughts. "You're too late," she mumbled. "This is who I am now. I'm a monster." She pulled the trigger.

Screams echoed through the streets. Only, they weren't the kind of screams she anticipated. Bree's eyes widened as her brain took in the scene. One boy had jumped in front of the inventor. One boy had done something spectacular to reflect the bullet into a limo's windshield. One boy had saved the inventor's life, but only by using powers the world had never seen.

 _Chase . . ._

"Bree! Stop! What on earth are you doing?"

Bree spun around and leveled the gun at her father's chest. Douglas held his hands up in surrender. "Traitor," she growled. "I knew you would go get my family."

Sure enough, Mr. Davenport, Adam, and Leo climbed up to the roof of the building. "Bree!" Leo screamed in a voice somewhere between scared and angry.

"How'd you find me?" she asked.

"We found Krane," Mr. Davenport said. "And when Douglas showed up, we put it all together. He found a way to track your chip. When we figured out where you were and that Teel was coming to the hotel tonight . . . we didn't want to believe it, but . . ."

Leo looked ready to cry. "Bree," he said, desperation choking his voice, "Bree, you need to stop whatever you doing. Drop that gun. Drop it now!"

Bree laughed. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Maybe not, but I can," Mr. Davenport said. "Bree, stop this or you're . . . you're . . ."

"What? Grounded until I have kids? Or will you lock me up in the basement again? Sorry, _Donnie_ , but you can't tell me what to do either. Not anymore."

Adam frowned. "Are we playing some kind of game I didn't know about?"

"No, Adam, it's not a game," Bree assured him. "Everything I'm doing is very, very real."

Adam's frown only deepened. "But why?"

"Douglas, what did you _do_ to her?" Mr. Davenport shouted.

Douglas threw his hands up in protest, but Bree was quick to defend him.

"Oh, this isn't his fault," she said. "Well, not entirely. It's his . . . and yours . . . and them." Bree gestured to her brothers with the gun. "It's because of all the . . . the unfair things you've ever done. It's because you kept me in the basement my whole life. It's because _you_ —" the gun turned to Douglas this time "—did horrible, awful things to me in order to give me bionics . . . things I'd rather forget. It's because none of you see me as a human being with feelings. I'm a teammate, or an experiment, or an oddity. I'm not your sister, not your daughter. I'm something else altogether, and guess what? It's too late for you to say that I _am_ your sister, your daughter. I've already made up my mind. _This_ is who I am now. This is what I was meant to do: rid the world of people like _you_."

"I see you as a human," Leo whispered, but Bree still heard him.

Chase clambered up onto the roof, chest heaving. "I hope you're happy!" he shouted. "I just revealed my bionics to the world! The second they find me again, we'll all be torn apart with questions. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Quentin Teel probably views his little underage 'workers' the same way you guys view me."

"What?" Mr. Davenport said. "I mean, sure, Teel's got some morally ambiguous working policies, but the government would handle it!"

"Just as 'morally ambiguous' as you keeping children in your basement? Did the law come for us? Come to free us?"

Mr. Davenport's face drained of color. "You . . . you wanted to be free? You thought of it like . . . a prison?"

Adam put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't. Most days."

"Yeah, I think we had a happy childhood," Chase added.

"Oh, who are you kidding?" Bree barked. "We hated it. All the simulations, all the times we had nightmares because of things _he_ did? Stop pretending like it was all so great. Stop blocking out the memories! You know what happened to us down there!"

Adam and Chase took a step back. They looked at each other before lowering their heads. Memories had hit them like a freight train. It would take several seconds for them them to recover.

"Big D?" Leo said, sidling up to his stepfather.

"Bree," Mr. Davenport growled, locking his eyes with his niece. "I know I did wrong things. We all know. I thought you forgave me!"

Bree laughed, sharp and harsh. "How could I forgive you for that? I cried till I threw up because you made me watch my brothers die in a simulation. And that didn't happen once! No, it happened several times. I was _seven_ , Davenport! I couldn't process that! I've _never_ forgotten, and I've _never_ forgiven."

Leo took a step back from the tech mogul, and even Douglas raised his eyebrows.

"I thought . . . I thought it would help you build up courage, build up strength," Mr. Davenport whispered. "I . . . I never realized . . ."

"Well, it did make me courageous. It did strengthen me. But that sure didn't work out for you, now, did it?"

Bree glanced over her shoulder to see Teel being taken into the hotel. Her opportunity was about to vanish, and she wasn't about to fail this mission.

"Thanks for the chat," she said, lowering the gun and taking a step back, "but you can't change my mind. And you know, maybe this is more than a little selfish. Maybe it's because I now have immense amounts of power, and I want to exploit that. I won't deny it. But know that I'm doing this mostly because I think you won't accept me. You'd try to take my power away. You want me back because I'm your teammate, not your sister. I'm sick of that. I'm sick of being something less than human. I'm done."

Bree took a running leap and hopped onto the next building. Her family ran up to the edge of the roof, but the gap was too big for them to jump without super agility. "And if I wasn't clear," Bree shouted at them through the midnight air, "I never want to see you again!"

They shouted after her, and in particular, Bree caught a few worried exclamations from Leo. To be honest, he was the one she really hated to leave behind. Out of her whole family, he would be the one who actually loved her, who cared about her _as a person_. But that didn't stop him from taking advantage of her bionics and giving her strange looks, as if she wasn't a human. Yes, there were days when he was just as bad.

Bree leveled the gun and found her target. Police surrounded him, but she had one opening. This would be the first time she actually _planned_ to kill a person before it happened. Still, it exhilarated her to no end. She felt alive while doing it, especially when she knew that the man she killed had hurt so many people to get where he was today. She pulled the trigger once more.

 _Bullseye. No bionic kid to save you this time._

As startled, anguished yelps rang out below her, and desperate, pleading cries came from behind her, Bree did what she did best: _she ran_.

* * *

 **Yes, what Mr. Davenport did was wrong. Yes, what Quentin Teel did was wrong. Yes, what Bree did was wrong. She didn't have any excuses, even if she kept trying to make some. There's one more chapter after this. And then . . . I'm thinking about a two-shot sequel. XD Something from her family's point of view. I'm asking you guys if you would want to read it, and you can think it over, but I think after the ending of the fifth chapter, you'll want to know what happens next.**

 **Anywho . . . who's excited for the LR/MM crossover on Wednesday? Guys, I seriously think I might die from excitement. XD This is like, the best thing ever! We've been waiting for it for years! We all knew it had to happen,** ** _and it's almost here_** **! YEEEEEESSSSS! (Pardon my caps lock and bad spelling of the word "yes." I'm just very excited. XD) I have to say, I've been happy with Lab Rats lately. The last few episodes have been great. :)**

 **All right, I just** ** _had_** **to talk about that. Moving on, what did you think of this chapter? Dark? Yeah, I know. I hope none of you approve of Bree's actions. O.o I'm writing a story, but I am in no way condoning what she does. Trust me, she'll get her comeuppance one day. Also, Chase just revealed bionics to the world? Whoa, what? Do you think that will have some bearing on the fifth chapter? And here's a little fun fact about the next part: it takes place one year after all this. I'll leave it there.**

 **Reviews are welcome, of course. Thanks for reading! See you soon! :D**


	5. Part V: Monster

**'Sup? I'm back! Final part! Woo! No long intro or anything, but I do have to say that the MM/LR crossover was** ** _amazing_** **! *maybe slightly spoiler-ish thingy* Except Bree gave me extremely conflicted feelings when she started flirting with Oliver. ;-; (Skoliver shipper for life; Bree lover for life. Gah!)**

 **Anywho, time to get on with it. What has Bree become? The soundtrack for this part is, again, "Monster" by Imagine Dragons. I don't own anything related to Lab Rats or Star Wars, and enjoy!**

* * *

 *** * * Part V: Monster * * ***

* * *

 _"The hunt for the elusive Whisper Bird is on. Authorities all over the nation have been notified to keep an eye out for this dangerous assassin. She's struck all over the country, and she seems to be targeting rich scientists. Her latest victim? Dr. Susan Sasha, head biologist at the Kindred Research Center. The beloved scientist went missing last week, and her kidnapper sent a ransom note to her boyfriend. Not much about the note has been revealed to the media, but police have informed us that they know about the situation and are handling it in the best way possible._

 _"Some suggest that Whisper Bird isn't working alone. Many other famous inventors and doctors have been murdered or terrorized this past year, and some think there's a whole group out there working together to bring the leaders of science to their knees._

 _"Not much is known about Whisper Bird herself, including her real name. She is only seen for brief seconds, and most describe her as an average-sized girl with a lean build. It is believed that she has superhuman powers, not unlike the bionic heroes. Some have speculated that she's only a teenager, but that has yet to be confirmed. All we know is that she's very dangerous. Police have been investigating—"_

The TV shut off with a click once the button was pushed. Bree took a step back and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, the media amuses me," she said with a chuckle. "I love hearing all their wild theories. And their belief that the police will catch me one day is precious."

Bree paused for a moment and turned to face the young woman strapped to a chair. Her light hair dangled near her cheeks and she dug her fingernails into the wooden arm as if that would free her. Bree smirked. "Would you like to say something?"

The woman looked up and glared, mumbling something unintelligible through her gag.

"That's what I thought."

Bree moved over to the window overlooking the whole city. She took in the beautiful lights dotting the nighttime scene. Absolutely serene and beautiful. Bree could stare at it all night, but unfortunately, she had business to attend to.

"Do you know why I chose the name Whisper Bird?" she asked, knowing full well the other person in the conversation couldn't answer. "It's a reference to Star Wars. Man, I loved those movies. My father showed them to me at a young age, and I instantly fell in love. I learned everything I could about the lore of the universe. I read every book, watched every show and movie, and scoured the internet to find out everything I could. Growing up with only a father and two brothers, you think they'd talk to me about it. But no. They seemed to think that I could never know as much as them. They shut me down every time I initiated a conversation. So I buried my Star Wars love away, and in high school I denied knowing anything about it, since it was considered pretty nerdy."

Bree paused for a moment. She brushed her hair out of her face—her much shorter hair. It fit much nicer into her hood since she had cut it off at the shoulder.

"Whisper birds were native to Yavin 4. They were named for their seemingly noiseless flight. They knew what they wanted; once they saw their prey, the went for the kill. No hesitation. No fear. With grace and agility, they were able to get exactly what they wanted. I like to think of myself the same way."

Bree turned and walked over to the scientist. "Have anything to say, Sasha?" She pulled the gag out of the woman's mouth, allowing her the chance to speak. It was only fair, Bree thought.

"You're cruel," the woman gasped. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why would you hurt innocent children in the name of research?"

Dr. Sasha frowned. "W-We were trying to find ways to help them! The cost versus the benefit—"

"The cost was much too high and you know it!"

"That's no excuse for kidnapping me."

"Really? Because I consider it vengeance for all those you hurt."

"But we didn't—"

"Save your breath. I have friends who have been hurt by your 'research.' I'm pretty sure they would disagree with you."

Dr. Sasha lowered her head. Then she looked up again and said, "Aren't you worried? I've seen your face. I'll be able to tell everyone who you are and what you look like."

Bree laughed. "Oh, I assure you, Doctor, by the time your boyfriend gets here, you won't be telling anyone anything."

The woman's face drained of color. "You told him—and me—that you would give me to him _alive_ if he brought the money!"

"Well, sometimes situations change. And when he gets here, you will be alive, but only barely."

Bree pulled out her dagger and ran it across Dr. Sasha's cheek as she walked past. She headed over to the cabinet and pulled out a small needle. "What is that?" Dr. Sasha asked her.

"Something poisonous," Bree replied. "I don't know, and I don't care. All I know . . ." Bree plunged the needle into her victim's arm. "All I know is that you will be dead within five minutes. You may get a chance to say one final goodbye, but I hardly doubt you'll waste your last words trying to futilely describe a fairly average-looking teenage girl."

Dr. Sasha winced and her chest heaved. Already her body grew weaker, and she blinked several times in an attempt to stay awake. "You . . . are . . . a monster."

Bree laughed again. "Yes. I know." She pulled her bandana up over her face, further concealing her identity. "Now it's time to go get some money from your adorable boyfriend and watch him sob over your death. Goodbye, Doctor!"

"You won't get away with this," Dr. Sasha asked.

"If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that one, I wouldn't have to send out ransom notes. In case you haven't noticed, I have the upper hand, you're are guaranteed to die, and I'm about to win. All the odds are stacked against you. You lose, good Doctor. But enjoy your last few moments of life."

Bree marched out the door, ignoring the rest of Dr. Sasha's protests. She closed the door behind her and stood on the balcony. Below her the rest of the warehouse stretched out for several yards. She crouched down to wait.

The wait wasn't long.

"Hello?" the young man called out into the abandoned room. Bree stood and slunk further into the shadows. "Whisper Bird?" From her spot, she could see him shaking.

Two other young men entered in behind him. Bree narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. "I told you to come alone." Her voice echoed through the room, and the first man jumped.

"Y-You said not to bring police. They're not police."

Bree squatted, anger and hate bubbling in her chest. By now, she had realized who the other two men were—in fact, they weren't men at all. While they had grown and matured in some ways, they were still the boys she knew well. Too well.

"Bionic heroes count too," she said, allowing the scorn to creep into her voice. "But I guess they're already here. Put the money down in front of you and don't move."

The two heroes with the man seemed to tell him to follow Bree's advice. _Smart_. So he bent forward and placed a briefcase on the ground. Bree stood and activated her super-speed. Before the three could move, she scooped up the briefcase and returned to her hiding spot.

"See the stairs to your right?" she called. "Head up them and walk across the catwalk. The first door you come to, that's the room she's being kept in. Have fun saying your final goodbyes."

The man's face paled and he rushed up the stairs. Bree moved further into the corner to keep out of sight.

"Give yourself up, Whisper Bird!" the youngest of the two boys called.

"Not a chance, bionic boy."

She walked to the railing and rested her arms on it. The boys looked up, seeing her in full view for the first time in an entire year. They both narrowed their eyes.

"Catch me if you can," she teased. And with that, she turned and fled through the closest door. She charged up the stairs and onto the roof. For just a minute she stood, admiring the beauty of the city around her. She leaned back and waited—she wasn't opposed to humoring her brothers some.

After a minute or two, the boys burst through the door onto the roof. They both took fighting stances, ready to face off against the girl who had once been their sister. Bree took a few steps backward, closer to the edge of the roof. She put the briefcase down at her feet, pulled her bandana down around her neck, and grinned.

"Hmm, I'm getting a sense of déjà vu. I believe the last time we met was in a similar situation. It's been a long time, boys."

"I'm sorry, do we know you?" Adam asked.

"Adam, she—"

"Yeah, I know, Chase." Adam's facial expressions betrayed his grief.

Chase took a deep, shuddering breath. "So, how's your year been? Having fun traumatizing people and ending lives?"

"Actually, yes, I am having quite a bit of fun." Bree smiled. "How about you? Having fun convincing the world that you're not dangerous?"

Chase scowled. "That was no easy task, thanks to you. You're lucky we're not locked up in some government facility somewhere! We barely got out of that."

"I'd hardly call myself lucky. It would actually be easier on me if you _had_ been locked up."

"Why, Bree?" Adam barked suddenly. "Why would you hurt us like this?"

Bree faked a yawn. "You want to know why?" She held out her hands and formed a large fireball. "This is why. I no longer have the least amount of abilities. I'm no longer a weak link. I'm no longer the girl who can only speed. I'm a lot more than transportation now. Yes, this is about power. I'm not ashamed of that."

Bree shot the fireball in the direction of her brothers. They both jumped out of the way. Adam used his blast wave in an attempt to knock Bree over, but she only absorbed the energy and fired it right back at them, knocking them both off their feet.

Chase pushed himself off the ground and proceeded to help Adam up. "Think of all you left behind, Bree!" he said. "Your family, all your friends . . ."

Bree shrugged. "Actually, I've made a lot of new friends. Sure, they're pretty evil, not afraid to do the wrong thing, they're lying and manipulative, and most of them would stab me in the back if given half the chance, but they're still better than Caitlin."

Adam leaned over to Chase and whispered, "We can't argue with that."

"Yeah," Chase said, "maybe so. But family's irreplaceable."

"Oh really?" Bree folded her arms across her chest. "Remember when I destroyed my chip, and you guys spent the whole time trying to _replace_ me?"

They both furrowed their brows. "But we were replacing you on our team," Adam said. "Not in our family."

"Again, _really_? Because did either of you try to help me restore my chip? Did either one of you come to comfort me when I was upset? You spent that whole time trying to replace me. It's stuff like that that made me leave."

"Bree, we didn't mean to—"

Bree held up her hand. "Ah, no. I don't answer to 'Bree' anymore. Most of my friends these days call me Birdy. 'Bree' came about because I used to be Subject B. I don't want to remember that anymore. 'Bree' reminds me."

Adam frowned. "But . . . Birdy starts with a _B_ too . . ."

"Shut it," Bree growled.

"Birdy, Bree, whatever you want to be called," Chase said, "just give this up. Come back home with us."

"Uh, no. How about we try this? How about . . . _you_ join _me_."

"What?"

"My _friends_ , they're an alliance of sorts. They fight against human experimentation. They fight against people like Mr. Davenport. They fight for freedom and for human rights and for . . . for _power_. They could make you powerful."

Adam shook his head. "No way. We would never hurt people."

"Chase," Bree said, looking directly at her brother. "You came very close to receiving power. That one time, with Douglas, in Antarctica? By the way, you were a fool to turn down his offer. This many abilities is . . . _amazing_."

"Which is exactly why I turned it down," Chase said with a scowl. "It's not about the number of abilities. It's about the people we can save with them. I turned him down because I didn't want to betray my family! I did it because I loved you! Obviously you don't love us the same way."

"Did you not see how concerned I was for you? I could've left you for dead in that avalanche!"

"You did leave me for dead!" Chase shouted.

"I left you for dead too!" Adam interjected.

"Yeah, and maybe I don't regret it," Bree said. "Maybe somedays I wish Douglas hadn't rescued you. You know why? Because one week later you were back to teasing me about how 'girly' I was, about my friendship with Caitlin, about my latest crush, about my weaker abilities. You were back to seeing me as a gear in your team, not a member of your family."

Chase's scowl deepened. "You're being so stupid in all of this."

"Maybe I am. I don't care. One thing I do know, though; one thing I've discovered this year: I don't need you. It's like my capsule. As soon as Douglas upgraded my chip, he made it self-regenerating, so my capsule was suddenly useless. Once I broke away and 'upgraded' my way of life, I realized that I don't need you anymore. And I don't care if you need me."

"Actually, we've done pretty well without you," Adam said. "Some things are hard, but most days we don't even realize you're gone."

"See? That's the attitude that made me leave," Bree said. "Your team's got some bugs, but you don't even realize that I'm missing from the family. No sense in trying to clean it up now, though. Obviously we're at a draw here. I'm not rejoining you, and you won't come with me." Bree slipped her right hand behind her back and twisted her index and middle fingers around each other. "Tell you what . . . I'm in a generous mood today. Drop the fighting stances, and I won't run away or fight back. I promise."

Chase narrowed his eyes. "You're crossing your fingers behind your back, aren't you?"

Bree produced her right hand, fingers still crossed together. "You know me so well."

She spun around, firing a blast of electricity and knocking her brothers over. Chase tried to grab her with his molecularkinesis, but she countered it with her own. As they both struggled to telekinetically grip each other, Adam charged at Bree and knocked her over.

"I don't know what you did to my sister," he growled, pinning her to the ground, "but you're gonna pay for it!"

Bree chuckled. "Sorry, Adam, but you're not the strongest one here anymore." She grabbed his arms and threw him off her, hopping to her feet.

"Whoa, when'd you get so strong?"

"Oh, about a year ago . . . the same time I got this." Bree used her own blast wave ability to throw both boys backwards.

While they were stunned, Bree walked over to the edge of the roof. As they stood up, she shouted over the wind, "You know, I did say I wouldn't run. And I won't. I've got another way out of here." She picked up the briefcase. "It's been wonderful catching up, but all good things must come to an end. Until we meet again."

Bree spread her arms out and leaned backwards. The last thing she saw before plummeting over the edge was her brother's shocked and horrified faces.

The cool air brushed her cheeks and whipped her hood, trying to knock it off. Wind rushed by her as she fell a couple of stories. Once she began nearing the ground, Bree activated her levitation. Her fall slowed and she turned to land on the ground without harm.

One last backwards glance showed her that two figures had leaned over the edge of the roof to see where she went. Bree scowled and pulled her bandana back up. She straightened her hoodie and shifted the briefcase to her other hand. Then, like so often before, she ran.

She ran far, she ran hard, and she ran home.

Home. That sweet little cave in the side of the mountain, miles away from any civilization. Bree never thought she would live in such a place. She actually kind of liked it. Of course, she had to make it homey, and after a whole year of decorating, it seemed she had. Computers, furniture, even electrical lighting. Most people who went inside wouldn't know it was actually a cave.

Bree put the briefcase on the table and sat down at the computer. A few quick keystrokes brought up five faces on her screen via video chat. Tex and Lidy shared one window since they were in the same location, and three of Bree's other new friends—Jax, Viviana, and Bailey—occupied the other three windows.

"Got the cash?" Tex asked.

Bree held up the briefcase and opened it up, revealing the crisp green bills inside.

"And you killed her?" Viviana asked. "I'll sleep better knowing that devil no longer walks among us."

"I gave her that serum you gave me, Jax," Bree said. "She's long gone."

Viviana traced the scar that ran from her eyebrow to her chin. "Good. She ruined so many lives."

Bailey's face brightened. "Well done, Birdy," she said. "I had my doubts about you, but you've really been amazing. We love having you on our team."

"Absolutely," Jax said. "And I'm glad you were able to make use of my serum. I'm working on a new one; I should have it ready in a month or two."

"I don't get why people say we're against science," Lidy said. "I mean, Jax is our own resident scientist. And he's really good at it!"

"I can testify to that," Tex said with a tight grin.

While all the others came from various labs, Tex and Jax had been experimented on by the same group. They were something like brothers, Bree supposed. It was rather interesting to observe.

"Anyway," Tex said, "it's time to move on to our next target. While you were out, Birdy, we found a new one."

"Sweet. I can't wait," Bree said with a grin.

"Right. Well, uh, this one's a little different. Before I tell you who it is, I need to make sure that you are fully committed to this group. Are you?"

Bree frowned. "Absolutely. I wouldn't have done the things I've done if I wasn't totally loyal to you."

Tex leaned back. "Good. Then here's our next target."

A picture of an inventor appeared on Bree's screen, and her eyes widened.

"How willing are you to do this, Birdy?" Tex asked softly. "We all agree you would be the best one for the job. But we need to know that you are completely loyal. No turning back now. If you want to pass on the job, we _can_ give it to someone else. But if you really are devoted—"

"No need to worry." Bree's lips twisted into a sick smile. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this." She put her hand on the screen, right over the picture of the man she had known for so long.

"So you'll do it?"

Bree's grin got even bigger. "Oh, I'll do it. Don't you worry; Donald Davenport will fall . . . and he will fall at the hands of his own daughter. You can count on it."

* * *

 *** * * The End * * ***

* * *

 **Ahem . . . would you guys like a sequel?**

 **I drew a picture of "Whisper Bird," and I'll be posting it on my blog (daphrose . wordpress . com, without the spaces) in just a few minutes. I'm pretty proud of it, if I do say so myself.**

 **So, how was the story? Did you enjoy it? Did it shock you? Excite you? Disturb you? I would like to say one more time that everything Bree did is absolutely wrong. If I write the sequel (and I'm pretty sure I will), let's just say that Bree may finally realize that. She's following a dark path, and it's not okay. Okay? Okay.**

 **Reviews are always welcome, and deep, thoughtful, insightful ones make me smile. :) Simple ones make me grin too, I guess. But I do like to know what you truly thought, beyond just a "love it!" However, I can't tell you how to review. I'll be happy with what I get. :) Thanks for reading, guys! I appreciate it! See you on the sequel, if it happens. (It probably will.) Bye!**


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